Manufacturing Economy Monitor

Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing in North Carolina

Plastics and Rubber Products manufacturing added $4.6B of value to North Carolina's economy in 2025, up 1.5% year over year. That ranks North Carolina 6th of 50 states and DC for this industry. It is 4.1% of North Carolina's manufacturing output. Nationally, plastics and rubber products is a $94.1B industry (the 10th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Output and rank

  • Value added: $4.6B in 2025, #6 of 50 states and DC for this industry.
  • Growth: +1.5% year over year.
  • Share of North Carolina's manufacturing: 4.1% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
  • National context: plastics and rubber products is a $94.1B industry nationally, #10 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (-1.5% year over year).
  • Classification: nondurable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 326).

Frequently asked questions

  • How big is the plastics and rubber products industry in North Carolina? Plastics and Rubber Products added $4.6B of value in North Carolina in 2025, ranking the state 6th of 50 states and DC for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
  • Is plastics and rubber products growing in North Carolina? North Carolina's plastics and rubber products output grew 1.5% year over year to 2025. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
  • What share of North Carolina's manufacturing is plastics and rubber products? Plastics and Rubber Products is 4.1% of North Carolina's total manufacturing value added in 2025, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.

About this data

  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (public domain). National quarterly values are seasonally adjusted annual rates. Corporate-profit industry detail reflects inventory valuation adjustment without capital consumption adjustment, per NIPA table 6.16D conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.